NEWS OF THE MORNING

No. 1: Paul only cares that Jordan is back in LA — At this point, the details no longer matter to Chris Paul. The rumors and speculation of his fractured relationship with DeAndre Jordan and how it almost led to Jordan’s departure for Dallas via free agency was overblown, if you listen to the Los Angeles Clippers’ superstar and his version of the team’s wild and crazy free agent summer. He and Jordan are “brothers,” or as Paul put in Sunday, Jordan is his “big little brother.” Justin Verrierof ESPN.com explains:

While reports indicated that a rift between Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan played a role in the center agreeing to sign a free-agent deal with the Dallas Mavericks before ultimately re-upping with the Los Angeles Clippers, Paul said that it “doesn’t matter” what people say, and that he’s “unbelievably happy” to have him back.

“DeAndre’s like my big little brother,” Paul said before the first annual Players’ Awards at the Penn & Teller theater at the Rio Las Vegas. “We talk a lot more than people ever realize. But it doesn’t matter [what people say]. The only thing that matters is that he’s back.”

After heavy courting from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and forward Chandler Parsons, Jordan agreed to a four-year max contract with Dallas early in free agency. But after a chaotic chain of events that saw a cavalcade of Clippers personnel — including coach Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce and Paul himself — meet with Jordan at his Houston home, the 26-year-old changed his mind and signed a four-year deal with the Clippers worth an estimated $88 million, according to ESPN sources.

“It’s been pretty wild,” said Pierce, who signed a reported three-year, $10 million deal with the Clippers this offseason. “But I think that whole saga really took a form or shape of its own. It got a lot bigger than it was supposed to be, but I made my decision to be a Clipper and DeAndre changed his mind and made his decision to be a Clipper. We’re happy with the way things turned out.”

Pierce, who played for the Washington Wizards last season, said he wasn’t privy to the events before his arrival in L.A., but is encouraged by the result of the sitdown.

“I kind of sat in and voiced what I thought,” Pierce said. “But I was on the outside looking in. I think guys really cleared the air if there was any tension, but a lot of the media made it more than it really was from what I saw. But it was good just to have the main guys who are going to be the main voices on this team in one room. It was really good. Hopefully it can be the start of something special.”

The Rockets’ pursuit of a playmaker landed them one of the league’s best and a bargain price – but with one huge question mark attached.

The Rockets reached agreement on a deal for Denver point guard Ty Lawson, acquiring the six-year veteran without giving up anyone from their playing rotation, a person with knowledge of the deal said on Sunday. The individual spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal will not be complete until Monday morning.

The move, however, is not without risk. Lawson entered a 30-day private alcohol treatment program last week after his second DUI arrest in the past six months. He has a court appearance scheduled for Aug. 20 in Denver.

Though often targeted in trade talks and especially since Denver drafted Emmanuel Mudiay with the seventh pick of the NBA Draft last month, Lawson’s off-court problems had apparently dramatically reduced the Nuggets’ asking price.

The Rockets will send guard Nick Johnson, forward Kostas Papanikolaou, guard Pablo Prigioni and center Joey Dorsey, along with a protected first-round pick to get Lawson. Only Johnson was expected to have a chance to be in the Rockets playing rotation next season, and in his case, only if he could make the transition to point guard.

The pick that will go to Denver is protected through the lottery. The Rockets will receive Denver’s 2017 second-round pick.

Lawson, 27, has two seasons worth $25.6 million remaining on his contract.

With the move, along with an agreement with forward KJ McDaniels on Sunday, the Rockets move into the luxury tax. They can still sign Jason Terry or other players to veteran minimum contracts, but once they use any of their remaining mid-level exception money to sign second-round pick Montrez Harrell, they will be “hard-capped” and unable to make those offers.

Prigioni is expected to be waived shortly after the deal is official, with only $440,000 of his contract guaranteed. Papanikolaou’s contract, worth $4.7 million, is non-guaranteed if he is waived by Oct. 4, but he and Johnson were considered important parts to a deal.

For the Rockets, Lawson brings the playmaking they had said they wanted since the end of last season and with strengths that match their up-tempo and pick-and-roll style.

While bringing playmaking at point guard that the Rockets had lacked, he is not an ideal fit next to James Harden because he is at his best with the ball in his hands and the Rockets have preferred to keep Harden as their primary ball-handler. Lawson, however, has shown potential as a catch-and-shoot threat, especially on corner 3s where last season he made 42.1 percent of his shots.

While Harden was second in the NBA last season in points scored or produced with his assists, Lawson was seventh. He has made 46.6 percent of his shots and 36.9 percent of his 3-pointers in his career, but has never played with a playmaker to get him the spot-up opportunities he can get while playing with Harden.

Lawson averaged 15.2 points and a career-high 9.6 assists last season, third in the NBA behind Chris Paul and John Wall.

With the deal for Lawson after signing Pat Beverley, Marcus Thornton and Corey Brewer this month, the Rockets go from thin in the backcourt at the end of last season when Beverley was hurt and Prigioni and Terry had to man the point, to unusually deep around Harden.

***

No. 3:Former Kentucky stars lift Suns to title game — There were enough of them in summer league action this summer to field two teams comprised strictly of former Kentucky Wildcats, both young (Devin Booker) and old (Keith Bogans). A robust group of 13 were on various rosters in Orlando, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Three of them, Booker, Archie Goodwin and Josh Harrellson, will cap things off today in the championship game in Vegas after combining for 62 points to lift the Phoenix Suns past the New Orleans Pelicans. As Dennis Varneyof the Herald Leader explains, it’s good to be Blue these days:

The Phoenix Suns’ trio of former Kentucky stars combined for 62 points, including going 9-for-19 from three-point range, in the team’s 93-87 victory over the previously undefeated New Orleans Pelicans in the Las Vegas Summer League semifinals on Sunday night.

Rookie Devin Booker led the way with 31 points, which tied the single-game high for the Las Vegas summer league this year. He was 5-for-9 from long range, and also had nine rebounds and two assists. Booker hit six of seven free-throw attempts.

“I just want to get wins,” Booker said. “I always have a winning attitude, and that’s what we’re out here for.”

Booker missed his first eight three-point attempts to start summer league play, but he has heated up since.

“Shooters never stop shooting,” he said. “I’ve been through slumps before, but you always have to keep shooting. … I wasn’t worried about it. I knew it was eventually going to fall.”

Josh Harrellson, a free agent trying to play his way back on to an NBA roster, started in place of the Suns’ Alex Len (rest). Harrellson scored 19 points to go with nine rebounds and an assist.

Harrellson was 3-for-8 from three-point range, and he’s 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from that distance this summer.

Third-year Suns guard Archie Goodwin, who has scored 20-plus points in three of the team’s six games this summer, added 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.

***

No. 4: McDermott ready for breakout season under Hoiberg? — A fresh start could be just what Doug McDermott needs in Chicago. And he, along with Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and the rest of the veterans on the roster, will get exactly that with new coach Fred Hoiberg. But if his performance this summer is any indication, McDermott could benefit more than anyone from the change. In a Q&A with Sam Vecenie of CBSSports.com, McDermott addressed that premise and more:

CBSSports.com: You’re coming off of a rookie year where you didn’t really get to play a lot. What do you think your role will look like next year given that the Bulls didn’t really lose anyone?

McDermott: You know, you learn from those guys. A lot of veterans still. But I think I fit in with Coach Hoiberg’s system pretty well, so I think it’ll be a great experience getting to learn from someone like him.

CBSSports.com: That’s actually another thing I wanted to ask you about. Coach Hoiberg actually went to your high school if I remember correctly. That’s kind of a weird and awesome coincidence for you, no?

McDermott: Yeah, it’s awesome. It’s great having a coach you can relate to, but even more having a guy that grew up in the same town as you is pretty cool. We didn’t know each other a whole lot when I was growing up, but just having his presence around is pretty cool.

CBSSports.com: Did you have any experience at all with him beforehand?

McDermott: I actually saw him at a couple of weddings, just with people that we knew mutually so we actually got to know each other a little bit there. So it was good to really get to know him a little beforehand.

CBSSports.com: What’s the biggest thing you learned from your rookie year this year?

McDermott: Just patience. You know, you gotta wait your turn, especially on a good team. It’s all about getting better every single day. You can’t really worry. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You just have to put in your work and good things will happen.

CBSSports.com: One thing I noticed here in summer league is that you were playing a bit more of the 4. Do you think that’s going to be something you do more of throughout next season?

McDermott: Yeah, I think it’ll kind of depend on matchups and stuff. And having a guy like Niko Mirotic, we can kind of play both the 3 or 4 and kind of run the same spots so being able to play with a guy like him, plus we have a lot of versatility out there so I think it’ll be good.

Well, some of us still have some final thoughts on The Finals:

23 — The Catch. The Drive. The Fumble. The Shot. The Decision. The Kneecap. Every major league city has its own share of heartbreak. Cleveland’s just seems larger than Lake Erie. This one doesn’t belong on that list of hurt. The Cavs battled proudly.

22 — The Warriors danced harmoniously and gorgeously from October to June with a roster that stayed virtually intact, and in some corners they are asked to apologize for this? As Woody Allen once said, “Eighty percent of life is showing up.”

And durability is a talent.

21 — Irony is that the only significant injury suffered by the Warriors all season, David Lee’s strained left hamstring in the final game of preseason, opened the door for Draymond Green and the championship lineup.

20 — Before Golden State gets pigeonholed into history as banner carriers for jump shots, don’t forget the Warriors had the No. 1 defense in the NBA all season. And were No. 1 in assists.

19 — The best reason ever why coach Steve Kerr didn’t rub the nose of 3-point-shooting critic Charles Barkley in the Warriors’ championship: “I mean, guy picked up every bar tab I ever was part of when I was at TNT. So he can say whatever he wants.”

18 — Is there just the smallest part of Kerr that would be tempted to drop the mic and walk off after one flawless season? How’s that for Zen, Phil Jackson?

17 — Will say it again: For a team that has players with size and strength in low post — LeBron James, Timofey Mozgov, Tristan Thompson — the Cavaliers don’t finish strong at the hoop nearly enough. That especially goes for LeBron. Stop going off the glass and make them foul you and pay the physical price.

15 — Somebody will have to explain that Beats headphone TV ad that makes the relationship between Draymond Green and the media look so contentious. For one, nobody has ever asked Green why he acts so arrogant, because he doesn’t. For another, he’s the long-after-the-podium guy who loves to stand in front of his locker way past the final horn and chat. With anybody. It’s like Michele Roberts wrote the script.

14 — The nit-pickers say Stephen Curry still has something to prove since each round of the playoffs featured an opponent with an injured point guard — Jrue Holiday, Mike Conley, Patrick Beverley, Kyrie Irving. They don’t mention that he was also on the first team in history to beat every other member of the All-NBA First Team — LeBron, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Marc Gasol — on the way to the title.

13 — Is LeBron (2-4) on his way to becoming the 21st century version of Jerry West, who lost eight times in The Finals? One could do far worse than being on the same page of history as The Logo.

12 — “We ran out of talent.” James catches flak for this from some corners? A third quarter lineup by the Cavs in Game 6: J.R. Smith, Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert, Thompson, James Jones. If the NBA playoffs were the NCAA Tournament, they’d be a No. 16 seed playing Kentucky.

11 — If you thought the team that LeBron single-handedly dragged to The Finals and then was swept by the Spurs in 2007 was in deeper water over its head than these Cavs once Irving went down, face it, you’ll never be satisfied with anything he does.

10 — To think it all could have unraveled for the Warriors right at the beginning if Andre Iguodala, who started the first 758 games of his 10-year NBA career, didn’t buy into the program and Kerr’s plan to come off the bench. Unhappy? Yes. Unwilling? No. That’s the definition of a pro’s pro. And don’t forget no grousing from Andrew Bogut when he was benched in The Finals.

8 — Iggy as Finals MVP? Yes, because it was his move into the starting lineup for Game 4 that began to turn the series around and made what Curry did possible. And he was the one who made James work so hard and wore him out.

6 — If you want to follow one more member of the Twitterverse next season, for raw emotion and lots of fun, make it Draymond’s mama:

They are not going to give us NOT 1 freaking FOUL CALL!

5 — “I’m the best player the world.” OK, it wasn’t modest. But truth is a defense. And LeBron was clearly just trying to instill confidence in a worn-down, flat-out spent band of merry men that he could somehow get them through Game 6.

4 — Plenty of people and reasons to feel good about in the glow of the Warriors’ championship. Few more than Shaun Livingston, eight years removed from the horrible knee injury that had at least one person at the hospital tell him that he might need his leg amputated.

June 17, 2015 · 2:30AM

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CLEVELAND — The Golden State Warriors wobbled, but in the end they wouldn’t fall down. After trailing 2-1 early in the NBA Finals, the Warriors went small and ran away with the series, rallying to take three in a row over the Cleveland Cavaliers, including a 105-97 win in Game 6. The Warriors followed the same recipe that led to wins in Games 4 and 5, going with a shorter lineup and trying to push the tempo throughout the night.

Here’s a look at what went right and wrong in Game 6.

Right: The substitution that perhaps saved the Warriors season came before Game 4, when Steve Kerr swapped out starting center Andrew Bogut in favor of small forward Andre Iguodala. Though Iguodala hadn’t started a game all season, he slid seamlessly into the front five, averaging 20.3 ppg in his three starts. Iguodala also did a terrific job pestering LeBron James on the defensive end. In Game 6, early on the Cavs seemed content to give Iguodala perimeter jumpers, and he stepped up to the challenge, finishing with 25 points and putting a lock on the NBA Finals MVP award. “My mind was working so many ways,” said Iguodala. “Like, what’s going to happen if you win? What’s going to happen if you lose? How do you approach the game starting? Do you come out firing? Do you let it just come to you? So for me, it was just playing my game. If you’re feeling it, shoot it. If you feel like you can make a play for somebody else, just make a play for somebody else.”

Wrong: I’m putting LeBron James in the “wrong” category only because he was on the losing team. Yes, he’s now 2-for-6 in the NBA Finals, but the truth is, LeBron didn’t really do much wrong this entire series. Even in Game 6, when he was clearly tired and struggling to knock down jumpers, James finished with a monster stat-line: 32 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists. For the Finals, James averaged 45.8 minutes per game, and in that time averaged 35.8 ppg, 13.3 rpg and 8.8 apg. Considering the injuries afflicting the Cavs and the struggles of some of James’ teammates, it was about as impressive a performance in a losing effort as you’ll ever see.

Right: An often-overlooked part of the Warriors going to their small lineup and using Iguodala as a starter was 6-foot-7 Draymond Green logging time at center. There were times when Cleveland struggled to take advantage of a size advantage — like in Game 5 when they tried to match small lineups with the Warriors — but the Cavs went big in Game 6, playing the seven-footer Timofey Mozgov for 32 minutes. Despite being outsized, Green more than held his own in Game 6, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, the first triple-double by a Warrior in Finals history. Not a bad way at all to finish out his season, as the player overlooked coming into the NBA heads toward free agency this summer. “I won the National Player of the Year Award in college, consensus All-American,” Green said. “I made every, every single First Team All-American that you could possibly make, and I was a second round pick, and a lot of people said I could never play in this league: ‘Too slow, too small, can’t shoot well enough, can’t defend nobody. What does he do well? He doesn’t have a skill.’ I’ve got heart, and that’s what stands out.”

Wrong: In this close-out game, with possessions at a premium in the postseason, the Cavaliers just couldn’t take care of the ball. Even though the Cavs got to the free-throw line 39 times, they finished Game 6 with a whopping 19 turnovers, including 6 from James and 3 from Mozgov. While Cleveland was able to control the tempo early on — the score was tied at 8 after 6 minutes – they couldn’t capitalize on the deliberate pace, as they had 5 turnovers during that span, including a couple of 24-second violations.

Right: The other way the Warriors were able to successfully deviate from their “small” lineup was by using Festus Ezeli, who spent most of the season as a hard-playing reserve. In 11 minutes in Game 6, Ezeli scored 10 points, including a wicked put-back dunk with a few minutes to go in the third. Still just 25 years old, Ezeli looks to be a vibrant part of Golden State’s future.

Wrong: Let’s take a second and recognize that the Cavaliers were essentially transformed into the Cadavers in the NBA Finals, a wounded shell of the team that started the season, as they were missing Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao. Injuries are a part of sports, sure, but they’re also a “wrong” part of sports. “I’ve been watching basketball for a long time,” said James. “I’m an historian of the game. I don’t know any other team that’s gotten to The Finals without two All Stars. I cannot remember thinking of it. I don’t even know if it’s ever happened, for a team to lose two All Stars and still be able to make it to The Finals. Even what [Varejao] brings to our team as well, that’s another double double guy. We had three play-makers in suits this round and even throughout the playoffs. You’ve got to have all the play-makers. You’ve got to be healthy. You’ve got to be at full strength to win it. We weren’t.”

June 17, 2015 · 1:06AM

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24 — No Hollywood or recording industry celebs for this one. At Game 6 desperation time, Cavs pulled out their big gun in 19-year-old Marlana VanHoose. Blind since birth, the native of Denver, Ky. was undefeated when she sang the national anthem at University of Kentucky women’s basketball games. Her version on Tuesday night was the stirring, emotional call-to-duty the Quicken Loans Arena crowd and the Cavs needed.

23 — LeBron James in pre-game huddle before tip: “Ain’t no tomorrow.” Personally, I would have channeled John Belushi: “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”

22 — Size matters. For all the talk about the Warriors taking control of the series with small ball, whether or not there’s a Game 7 depends on how long Cleveland can pound inside with bigs and control the pace. No secrets: Get the biggest guy on the floor (Timofey Mozgov) the ball in the paint.

21 — On a night when the Cavs’ margin for error has practically vanished, they start out with six turnovers in the first seven minutes. Cleveland running down too much of the clock to make decisions, get off a shot. Now third shot clock violation already. Cleveland G.M. David Griffin could probably make a trade to get LeBron James some help in time between shots by the Cavs.

20 — This is what desperation looks like. First quarter Warriors 11 assists on 11 baskets and Cavs nine turnovers with just six FGs. It seemed the one thing Cleveland could not afford to do was let Golden State play from ahead.

19 — Cavs coach David Blatt keeps asking for more effort when he should actually be asking for more players.

18 — Helluva time for LeBron to be worried about the feelings of his teammates. Time to be Terminator, not Facilitator.

17 — Does nobody believe in going up strong to the basket for Cavs? Not even LeBron.

16 — There is one reason why the Cavs are even still in this game: Mozgov’s defense. Exhibit A: block on Draymond Green in low post.

13 — While Warriors keep moving and moving the ball, Cavs killing themselves by trying to do too much individually. There is not a single Cav who should be permitted to dribble the ball more than once except LeBron. And he’s got to go all the way to the hole.

11 — Doesn’t matter if James Jones didn’t catch the ball perfectly on inbounds pass. If you’re gonna be at the rim and miss dunks, you’re heading for summer.

10 — The on-court screamer with the microphone at The Q is standing a midcoast virtually begging the hometown fans to stand up and scream. But it seems they know reality when it smacks them right in the face and Warriors up by a dozen.

9 — For all that he’s done, as brilliantly as he’s played, LeBron and his somewhat passive approach to tonight are costing him a shot at becoming joining Jerry West (1969) as the second player ever from the losing team named MVP of The Finals.

8 — You want one more reason for the Cavs to worry? Steph Curry goes to bench for a pre-4th quarter rest with Warriors holding 70-58 lead.

7 — End third quarter, Warriors lead 73-61 and one word to describe Cavs: Spent.

6 — Just in case you haven’t filled out your MVP ballot yet, here’s Steph to bang in back-to-back 3s. But Iggy ties him for leading scorer with 25 points, five assists, five rebounds, two steals and all of that splendid work on LeBron. Oh yeah, and Draymond Green has a triple-double (14-10-10)

5 — Share the ball, share the rewards. Warriors put on the crowning touch with the kind of move-the-ball passing game that had them setting pace in NBA since opening night — 28 assists on 37 buckets.

June 16, 1975:

No. 1 single U.S. — Sister Golden Hair, America.

No. 1 TV show — All In The Family.

3 — Can you top this? Steve Kerr posts 83-20 (.801) overall record and becomes first rookie coach to win NBA championship since Pat Riley in 1982.

2 — Andre Iguodala becomes first player who never started a regular season game to be named Finals MVP. Curry and Iggy become first pair of championship teammates to split regular season and Finals MVP awards since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson in 1980.

June 16, 2015 · 8:08PM

A video posted by NBA (@nba) on Jun 16, 2015 at 10:17pm PDT

CLEVELAND — Close-out time at The Finals always brings an extra dose of energy for all involved.

And for LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers and this shell-shocked city desperate for a championship, desperation is the name of the game for Game 6 tonight at Quicken Loans Arena.

They have to play with a savage desperation that will interrupt the Golden State Warriors’ two-game run in this series or face the prospect of that title drought extending to yet another year.

That 2-1 lead the Cavaliers celebrated here last week seems so long ago now, with the momentum shift that came with the last two games. The Warriors righted things here in Game 4 and then pressed their advantage in Game 5 Sunday on their home floor.

Now we’ll find out if the best player in the world’s confidence is misplaced or right on target. He’s eyeing a return trip to Oakland for an epic Game 7 showdown. And for the sake of this beleaguered fan base and city (not to mention coach David Blatt), LeBron has to deliver.

Another triple double. Another 40-point game. Another performance for the ages. And a much better showing from his supporting cast. The Cavaliers need it all to keep this series alive. #AllInCLE indeed. All in for Game 6, or else …

And yes, that means you J.R. Smith?

A photo posted by Golden State Warriors (@warriors) on Jun 16, 2015 at 9:14am PDT

As always, things revolve around LeBron for the Cavaliers. How long he keeps the ball on his touches correlates to the outcome of the game (over 6 seconds on his touches, the Cavs wins … 6 seconds or under, the Warriors win).

#6IsTheMagicNumberForGame6

With so much attention on LeBron and the Cavaliers right now, it feels like we are giving the Warriors short shrift as they are just four quarters away from capturing their first title in 40 years. Their rebound from the first three game of this series has been nothing short of remarkable.

It’s like we’ve forgotten that Stephen Curry, and not LeBron, is the reigning KIA MVP as we head into what could be the final night of the regular season.

That was Steph shredding the Cavaliers’ vaunted defense, led Cleveland cult hero Matthew Dellavedova, for 17 of his team-high 37 points in the fourth quarter of Game 5.

June 15, 2015 · 12:04AM

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HANG TIME BIG CITY — For most of the first four games of the 2015 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors watched helplessly as the Cleveland Cavaliers threw an anchor around the series and slowed the tempo to a crawl. But in Game 5, the Warriors went small and stayed that way, and they made the pace seem like the fast forward button was stuck, as Golden State ran away for a 104-91 win. Now, in 48 hours, the series will shift to Cleveland, where the Warriors will have a chance to win their first NBA championship in four decades. Before we reach that point, here’s a look at what went right and wrong in Game 5.

Right: After four games in which he played well if not transcendent, Stephen Curry looked like the NBA’s MVP down the stretch during Game 5, finishing with 37 points on 7-of-13 from behind 3-point range. He started slow but built to a crescendo, scoring 17 in the fourth quarter to lead the Warriors to the win. Curry makes shots that most players get benched for even attempting, where he over dribbles, pump fakes multiple times, waits until a defender gets closer to him, and then still drains the shot. His game is unorthodox, but the results are valid. “I thought from the very beginning when they went small, had their shooters out there, I thought, ‘This is Steph’s night,'” said Golden State coach Steve Kerr. “‘This is going to be a big one for him because he has all that room.’ He took over the game down the stretch and was fantastic.”

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Right: Only once in the history of the NBA has the NBA Finals MVP come from the team that lost the NBA Finals (Jerry West in The 1969 Finals, the first year of the award). If the Cavs lose these Finals, LeBron James should still become the second player to be acclaimed even in losing. LeBron James finished Game 5 with 40 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, his second triple-double in five Finals games this postseason, even in a losing effort for the Cavs. No player in this series has meant as much to his team, night after night, play after play, as James has meant to the Cavaliers — even in a losing effort. Even if Golden State wins this series, LeBron James has been the most valuable player.

Wrong: It’s a weird NBA when you get benched for being too tall. And yet, that’s essentially what happened to Cleveland center Timofey Mozgov. In Game 4, Mozgov finished with 28 points and 10 boards against Golden State’s smaller lineups. But even though he started Game 5, Cleveland coach David Blatt benched Mozgov after five minutes and he didn’t see the court again until the second half. Mozgov finished with no points and no rebounds in nine minutes. Sometimes coaches make moves in reaction to what the other coach is doing. Sometimes coaches make moves and demand the opponent react. Mozgov getting benched seemed completely reactionary. “Listen, when you’re coaching a game, you’ve got to make decisions,” said Blatt. “I felt that the best chance for us to stay in the game and to have a chance to win was to play it the way that we played it. It’s no disrespect to anyone, certainly not to Timo who has done a great job for us. That’s just the way that we played it tonight, and Timo will be back and he will not lose his way or lose his head just because he didn’t play a lot tonight.”

Right:Draymond Green has been Golden State’s most versatile player this season, with the ability to defend multiple positions and attack multiple players offensively. While Green struggled early in The Finals, he’s continued to find his footing as the series has progressed. In Game 5 he was at his best yet, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists. More importantly, Green pressed the action and made plays instead of watching them made, including a double foul early on involving Matthew Dellavedova and drawing a charge on J.R. Smith.

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Wrong: While this Cavs team is obviously ravaged by injury, when they’ve won games they’ve had to rely on contributions from supporting players like Dellavedova and Smith. But after Delly and Smith combined to go 2-for-17 from three in Game 4, they followed that up with another uneven effort in Game 5. While Smith started hot, with 14 points in the first half, he didn’t score in the second half. Meanwhile, in the first few games Dellavedova had proven his worth as a player who could contribute without always posting big scoring numbers. But in Game 5, Delly finished with five points and a -19 plus/minus rating. The man who was the toast of Ohio early on in the series seems to be coming back down to earth.

Right: Warriors coach Steve Kerr moved Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in Game 4, and he responded with 22 points as he helped the Warriors win. Tonight in Game 5, Iguodala stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. On defense, Iguodala guarded James throughout, making things as tough as one can make them against the most complete player in the League. “[Iguodala] does everything for us,” said Kerr. “He’s our best defender on LeBron. He’s an incredible decision maker. I mean, seven assists, no turnovers. He rebounds. He guards everybody. When he’s off LeBron, he goes on to a shooter and stays at home with the shooters and challenges shots. He’s a brilliant defensive player.”

Wrong: In every game of this series, the Cavs have been within striking distance heading into the fourth quarter, but haven’t been able to expand their lead. In Game 4, the Cavs were outscored 27-12 in the fourth quarter. In Game 5, the Warriors outscored the Cavs 31-24, leading to their win. No team ever likes to use fatigue as an excuse, but the cavaliers and clearly tiring, night after night, as the games reach the latter stages. But at this point, while squeezing every second of time out of an eight-man rotation, the Cavs don’t have many more options available.

19 — That “stop whining, start playing” lecture Draymond got from his mama and grandma produced a 10-point, two dunk start in the first nine minutes.

17 — Shades of 1980? Remember Game 6 when Magic Johnson stepped into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s spot at center and delivered 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists in Lakers’ close-out win at Philly. LeBron in the middle and the Cavs have pace very much to their liking.

16 — As J.R. bangs home back-to-back 26-footers for his third and fourth treys in 10 minutes off the bench, just one sound big heard inside Oracle: “Uh-ooooooooooh!”

15 —

Iguodala is GSW's Wolf from Pulp Fiction

14 — Pace and ball movement starting to tip the feel back in direction of the Warriors. They’re a thing of beauty when sharing and have assists on 15 of first 17 buckets.

13 — It’s one thing to be J.R. Smith, showing up for first time in five games to sling in a handful of jumpers to get attention and quite another to be the engine that is LeBron and have to pull the train. Near triple-double (20-8-8) already and he either scored or assisted on 15 consecutive Cleveland hoops from middle first quarter to halftime.

12 — Could that have been J.R.’s cousin who won Jamba Juice for everybody inside Oracle during last timeout? Guy missed first eight 3-pointers, then made last one.

11 — This is Steph Curry The Finals have been waiting on, “bouncy and fresh,” as he once described himself, like one of those little sheets you toss into your dryer.

10 — This “small ball” stuff is so much fun that Andrew Bogut and Timofey Mozgov probably just wish they were at a sports bar knocking back a few pitchers at sports bar while watching it.

9 —

It's baffling that the Cavs go such long stretches without playing Mosgov. At all!

7 — David Blatt rode LeBron hard in third before finally giving him a break with 1:58 left. With 24-12-9 already, how much more does James have left fourth quarter, down 73-67?

6 — LeBron’s running jumper 12 seconds in gives him more fourth quarter points than all of Game 4.

5 — Iman Shumpert’s corner 3 off pass from you-know-who gives LeBron his second triple-double of Finals (29-12-10). That’s James’ 6th career triple-double in Finals, trailing only Magic Johnson’s record of 8.

4 — Splish! Splash! Cavs take a bath, long about a Sunday night on back-to-back 3s by Curry and Klay Thompson. Worth the wait: Steph is finally Steph with 37 and 7 treys.

3 — Perhaps the only thing funnier than Curry’s so-called “mean-face” is watching serial free throw mauler Iguodala (2-for-11) try to run away from would-be foulers to avoid a trip back to the line.

2 — LeBron racks up first 40-point triple-double since Michael Jordan 30 years ago. Please, let’s not have anyone embarrass themselves by still questioning what he brings to the table and pointing out a 2-4 Finals record if this thing ends on Tuesday night. For the second time in Finals history, MVP could come from losing team.

1 — For directions to a championship, just make a right turn at Planet Iggy. Warriors coach Steve Kerr: “He’s been our best player in the series.”

June 14, 2015 · 7:24PM

A video posted by NBA (@nba) on Jun 14, 2015 at 3:39pm PDT

OAKLAND — The biggest game of the season.

That’s what Game 5 is to both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, and not just because it’s the next game in these NBA Finals.

It’s the biggest because when it’s over the winner will be a mere four quarters from being able to finish this thing and claim that Larry O’Brien Trophy, feed a championship-starved fan base and etch their names in NBA lore among the other championship teams that preceded them.

Games like these come with the pressure that shows the true character of the men involved. We’ll find out if Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Splash Brothers, are truly ready for prime time? If LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers just needed a little rest to continue engineering one of the all-time great upsets in NBA and sports history (they are a robust 15-0 this season on exactly two days of rest)?

Fifteen just happens to be the magic number tonight.

The Warriors are undefeated this season (a staggering 57-0) when they get a 15-point lead in a game.

#15isthemagicnumber

And they’ve got karma in the house thanks to the Barrys (Rick and Brent “Bones” Barry, one of just three father-son combinations to have won NBA championships joining the Walton and Goukas clans as the only duos to accomplish that feat).

A photo posted by @nbatv on Jun 14, 2015 at 3:56pm PDT

Lineup changes and defensive tweaks are fine. And they worked well for the Warriors in Game 4. Now it’s the Cavaliers’ turn to throw a wrinkle or two into the mix.

LeBron said there will be no lineup change. An extension of the rotation from seven players to say eight or nine, however, seems to be a must. Mike Miller and Shawn Marion need to be on high-alert tonight. But really, guys like J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are the ones who need to step up for the Cavs.

A photo posted by John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) on Jun 14, 2015 at 3:36pm PDT

Someone is due for a breakout effort tonight, either the Splash Brothers or Smith and Shumpert (they get a nickname if and after they have that breakout game).

Game 5 is the time someone needs to get it done. Because it’s all on the line tonight, right here at Oracle Arena. Winner takes the commanding 3-2 advantage and the chance to finish this series off Tuesday in Cleveland ….

June 13, 2015 · 7:46PM

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OAKLAND – Steve Kerr lied to the media Thursday night to hide a strategic adjustment for Game 4 of the 2015 Finals until the last possible minute, hoping the element of surprise would boost its impact.

LeBron James may have done the same thing Saturday afternoon before Cleveland’s practice to demonstrate his confidence in a teammate as the Cavaliers head into Game 5 Sunday.

James has to be hoping his fudging of the truth for ulterior motives produces for Cleveland the same type of results Kerr’s generated for Golden State the other night.

Told that J.R. Smith, the Cavs’ designated shooter off the bench, was still in self-deprecation mode Saturday about his poor shooting in Finals play, James responded with an answer that was supportive, encouraging and a little bit imploring of the streaky reserve guard.

For effect, James even said “He can miss a hundred shots,” as a way to show how much faith he has in Smith. Which, of course, would mean both an NBA record for Smith and certain doom for Cleveland.

Smith, who referred to his play as “horse [bleep]” after an 0-for-8 struggle from 3-point range in Game 4, referred to it again Saturday when he said: “I’m ready to play. It’s one game, so the best part about it, I can’t play no worse.”

Even at his current rate – Smith is shooting 29.8 percent (14 of 47) in the Finals, including 25 percent (7 of 28) on three pointers and averaging just nine points – that’s not technically true. And it’s the wrong outlook, James felt, for a guy whose value to the injury-thinned Cavaliers roster has gone up this postseason.

Without Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, their team simply doesn’t have much offensive firepower besides James. But Smith, at his best, can provide that; he averaged 18.0 points on 50 percent shooting in the four-game sweep of Atlanta in the Eastern Conference finals. He hit 16 of his 34 3-pointers in that series (47.1 percent) and had a playoff career-high in the opener.

That past success and his track record are what Smith should be focusing on, James said, not his struggles of the moment.

“I don’t care how many shots he missed,” the Cavaliers star said. “I don’t want his head to be down like it was in Game 4. It’s a make-or-miss league. J.R. practices enough. We all are all professional athletes and we practice on our craft. But you can never allow someone either from the media or from the fans, from the opposition, from your family to ever see that you’re down about what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter. He has to stay confident.”

Here’s where James opted, if not to lie, then let’s say to deploy some big-time hyperbole.

“He can miss a hundred shots,” he said. “If they’re great looks, they’re drive‑and‑kicks, you shoot them with confidence. If he’s feeling confident about his ability, then I’m confident about it. But as a competitor, once you lose confidence in yourself, then it’s really not much coming back from that. So if he’s confident in himself, he’ll be fine.”

Some folks seeking a barometer in this series have suggested that it’s James, who dipped from his 41.0 points average through the first three outings to 20 points in Game 4. But they neglect that he had his biggest output in Game 1, scoring 44 in Cleveland’s loss at Oracle Arena to start this thing.

Even James’ 20 points in Game 4 might not have been too few, since his cohorts on the Cavs’ front line – Tristan Thompson (12) and Timofey Mozgov (28) – had a big scoring night. Taken together, James-Thompson-Mozgov have scored 62 (Game 1) and 60 (Game 45) in the Cavs’ two losses, 58 (Game 2) and 56 (Game 3) in the victories.

The backcourt has been up and down – 29, 16, 23 and 15 points. But Smith’s impact is easily discerned: He scored 13 and 10 in the two victories, just nine and four in the defeats. So Smith doesn’t need to take 100 shots, he just has to hit enough of them to score in double digits to give Cleveland a better chance.

June 13, 2015 · 7:00PM

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OAKLAND, Calif. — By now the world knows that Steve Kerr is not like a lot of rookie coaches. First off, not very many rookie coaches get the chance to play for a championship right out of the box.

Then again, not many rookie coaches are willing to think completely outside the box and take strategy suggestions mid-championship series from a guy whose duties include selecting and spinning the tunes at practice.

But when 28-year-old special assistant to the head coach Nick U’Ren proposed that the Warriors switch to a small lineup for Game 4 of The Finals, it was music to Kerr’s ears. And the notion that they’re all in this together continues to be why this entire season has come together like a symphony for a Golden State franchise seeking to win its first NBA title in 40 years.

With U’Ren’s plan, the Warriors ripped off a 103-82 win on Thursday night in Cleveland and now return to Oracle Arena for Game 5 with a 2-2 tie and home-court advantage back in hand.

“Things are open every day that we have a meeting,” said Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton following Saturday’s practice. “Go back to the Memphis series. (Assistant coach) Ron Adams threw out the idea that we should try putting (Andrew) Bogut on Tony Allen. It wasn’t, ‘Well, Ron said, it we’re doing it.’ It turns into a discussion and Steve really liked the idea.

“We give Steve a lot of credit also to be a rookie coach and to have the balls to do some of these moves this deep into the playoffs. It is impressive. He hangs it out there and our guys respond every time that that type of challenge presents itself. It’s all year long. Anytime anybody has ideas, we bring them to the table. He doesn’t want the credit for it. I mean, he should get it all, because if it doesn’t work he’s gonna get the blame for it.

“Steve would have taken the fall. At 7-0 (Cavs) early in that game, people were probably questioning, ‘What the heck is this guy doing? He’s in over his head.’ And he would never have thrown Nick under the bus.”

The Warriors players have responded through a 67-15 regular season and long playoff run to Kerr’s atmosphere of overall inclusiveness.

“One thing I’ve always been taught is that in order to be a great leader, you have to be a great follower,” said forward Draymond Green. “In order to be a great leader, you have to listen to other people. Most people would probably say, ‘Oh, man! Nick’s not on the coaching staff.’ But yet Coach Kerr always tells us, ‘I listen to anybody — video guy, video intern.’ Those guys watch a ton of film. You know, sometimes they may even watch more film than Coach does. They’re the ones breaking it all down. So it just says a lot about Coach Kerr’s character that he would listen and get it worked out.”